The Coast Guard Birmingham-Southern training center will officially open later this week, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) confirmed during a Senate budget hearing Tuesday with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Britt, who chairs the Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee, said she will be on campus later this week alongside Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday to mark the milestone.
“To fulfill its mission, increased training capacity is needed now more than ever,” Britt said. “It is paramount we provide resources to train cadets, build vessels, and procure air assets.”
The Coast Guard Birmingham-Southern facility occupies the 192-acre campus the service acquired earlier this year for $126.5 million. The college closed in May 2024 after 168 years of operation.
Britt personally encouraged Birmingham-Southern to enter the Coast Guard’s open bidding process when the service began searching for a new location in November 2025. The campus exceeded every requirement the Coast Guard outlined, including lodging for 1,200 recruits, dining facilities for 400, and 14 classrooms.
The center is expected to bring roughly 1,000 jobs to Birmingham. Several thousand active-duty enlisted personnel will rotate through courses ranging from two to 12 weeks each year, with approximately 300 Coast Guard staff and 100 civilian contractors operating the facility full-time.
The training center is part of the Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028 strategy as the service works to add 15,000 new members over the next two years.
Mullin echoed the importance of expanded training capacity for the service.
“When we are able to invest in their continuing training and be able to see that they have the skills and the tools needed to deliver on the threats that face America and our waterways every single day is vitally important,” Mullin said.
The facility will be named U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Birmingham-Southern, preserving the college’s 168-year legacy of education and service.
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
